


First Christmas

by FaiaHae



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brotherly Bonding, Genji's a very proud uncle, Genji's time with the shambali, Kidfic, M/M, Modern Era, Past Yakuza, Shimada Brothers, mchanzo parents, the true meaning of christmas or some shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 00:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13135038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaHae/pseuds/FaiaHae
Summary: Genji gave up on family when he went on the run from the Shimadas. But he's finding out that family hasn't given up on him when he opens an old mailbox and finds years of cards from his brother.He’d kind of thought that being raised in the Shimada clan would kill anyone’s desire to have a family, but facing being wrong about that was....surprisingly welcome.





	First Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [timehopper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timehopper/gifts).



> Merr Crysler. This is my secret santa for Timehopper! Hope you like it c:

There were, Genji reflected, staring at a massive pile of mail, a lot of downsides to living in a monastery. 

Sure, there were plenty of things he wouldn’t have given up for the world. Zenyatta was very important to him, and he was grateful to have been able to get out from underneath his father’s thumb. Zenyatta’s guidance had made him start to feel like himself again, not just Sojiro’s disappointment. 

 

And sure, disappearing off into the wild blue with only a year at university under his belt probably wasn’t the way to do it, but...it was the only option he’d felt he had. He’d left his boyfriend a letter on his pillow and mailed another one off to where Hanzo was attending college in New York, and then left the country. If Jesse or Hanzo had known where he was going, father could have found out.

 

Well,  _ maybe _ he should have told Jesse. Jesse didn’t know anything about the Shimadas, and they didn’t  know anything about him. He’d probably thought Genji dropping off the grid was a petty breakup tactic, as opposed to making sure a criminal empire couldn’t track him. 

 

And, admittedly, it kind of  _ had  _ been a petty breakup tactic. Jesse wanted to settle down someday, have a house and kids and dogs. 

Genji liked cats and....freedom. 

  
He’d kind of thought that being raised in the Shimada clan would kill anyone’s desire to have a family, but facing being wrong about that was....surprisingly welcome.

 

He just wish he’d known sooner.

 

His hands were shaking a little bit, holding years worth of forwarded mail. He’d made it hard to get anything to him, but hearing that the Shimada clan had been facing legal action and was being taken apart had made him start to check the old postal boxes and call the US about mail forwarding. 

 

Hanzo’s wedding invitation was the first thing to come to hand, dated from a little over two years ago. Dark blue paper, gold writing. Genji’s throat clenched. Hanzo had gotten married in Kyoto, in the spring. Despite the slight pain in his chest, Genji snorted when he read the invitation.  _ You are cordially invited to the wedding of Joel Morricone and Haruki Miyamoto.  _ Of course Hanzo would pick a swordsman’s name. 

 

Hanzo had scrawled in his own handwriting at the bottom: “ _ Hope to see you. _ ”

His heart felt torn in two.

The rest of it was more of the same. Hanzo had never been much for letters or expressions of sentiment, but there were “save the date” cards to everything from his old friend Lúcio’s first major concert to high school reunions. They were all addressed in Hanzo’s steady hand: Hana’s Starcraft championship, Professor Morrison’s golf tournament, Professor Reyes’s ‘Acquittal Party’ (He was sure he didn’t want to know what that meant.)

 

Hanzo hadn’t known any of these people. They’d both gone to university in America, sure, but Hanzo hadn’t so much as visited California while Genji had been going to school.

 

The PO boxes had been a secret between the two of them, and Genji had honestly expected to find them empty, not bursting with years worth of mail. It was all mixed in together. A few college events- he paused for a moment on the invitation to Hanzo’s college graduation, marked from the University of California Riverside. Keeping on, past the events and a few old classmates weddings, he found a lavender envelope dated from just a month ago. 

 

He tore it open.

 

It hit him like a punch to the chest when a photo fell out. It was a shot of Hanzo- grinning wider than Genji had ever seen, even when they were kids- and a little girl in a bright pink tutu on his shoulders. This time, the handwriting was a pretty cursive scrawl that wasn’t familiar to Genji, . 

 

_ Sophie’s first christmas (with us)! Come celebrate the holiday, the adoption papers finally going through, and Hanners’ case wins! -JM _

Genji choked out a laugh, tearing up. He was an uncle! He was an uncle, and Hanzo had married someone with the balls to make up shitty nicknames for him! 

 

He couldn’t wait to meet this guy. 

 

Photo in hand, he went to go tell Zenyatta he’d be gone for Christmas. 

___

  
  


The taxi dropped Genji at the end of a long driveway. The path led up to a house Genji was sure Hanzo had designed himself- no one else had quite that eye for warm wood colors, Japanese architecture, and  _ that  _ much glass. The house looked a little bit like someone had stolen the top couple floors of a highrise building in Tokyo and then replaced the steel with wood. He could see people on the second floor, silhouettes against warm yellow light. He puffed out a breath of fog and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. 

 

The cold didn’t bother him; nothing quite compared to the mountains in Nepal, but there was a chill in his chest as he walked. What if Hanzo had changed his mind? What if he’d been sending those letters without thinking they’d ever be received?

 

Would Hanzo even recognize him?

 

Genji twisted the ends of his hair in his fingers. The tips were bleached blonde from the old green dye. He hadn’t really bothered to cut it beyond the slightest trims, it was just one of those bits of maintenance that wasn’t worth the supplies. He certainly didn’t look the same. There’d been a few run ins with his father’s scouts the two years he’d spent wandering, and a few more good old fashioned falls on the mountain. His face was scarred, and there were defensive wounds on his arms. He tucked his hands back in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. His reflection looked older than Hanzo had looked in that photo, but all of Hanzo’s younger years had been spent carrying the weight of a legacy that aged him far beyond Genji had known then. If anyone deserved to be young again, it was Hanzo. 

 

He carried that thought with him to the door. 

 

Genji got another laugh out of the wreath. It was made of origami flowers, some much clumsier than others. He could hear laughter on the other side of the door.

 

He took a deep breath. He could do this. He could do this. 

 

He knocked.

 

There was a moment's pause, just long enough for Genji to get the inexplicable desire to sprint back towards the road, and then the door was opening and there was  _ Hanzo.  _ Hanzo, who was looking away calling something behind him and turning with a smile that froze in place when he turned around. The door swung open, unhindered, as Hanzo gaped at him.

 

Genji grinned, an instinctive reaction to anything that made him nervous. 

“Hey.”

Hanzo was still frozen, mouth moving to vocalize words he couldn’t find. 

“You alright there, sweetheart?” There was movement inside, and then Hanzo was tucked backwards against a much larger man, a pair of arms loose around his waist, a chin on top of his head.

 

And  _ there  _ was a voice Genji recognized. He grinned up with unabashed glee at the still horrifically bearded face of Jesse McCree, who was looking down at him with confusion and mild distrust.

“Oh, this is too perfect.”

“M’sorry, but do I know y-?” 

Hanzo finally got his voice back, and launched himself out of Jesse’s arms.   
“Genji!” 

 

Genji barely had a chance to get his arms up before Hanzo was crushing him in a bear hug that felt more like a suplex. He patted Hanzo’s back, choking out-

“ _ Anija- air-” _

Hanzo let him go as if burned, fear on his face.

“I’m so sorry! Are you alright-”

  
Genji laughed. He’d been back in Hanzo’s company under a minute and already his brother was making faces he hadn’t seen since they were boys. Worry still didn’t suit him.

“I am wonderful!” To illustrate the point he hugged Hanzo back, lifting him clear off the ground. 

Hanzo was mirroring his grin when he set him back down. 

 

“You’ve been training!”

“Body and mind! They are rather rigorous at the monastery-”

 

“The  _ monastery? _ ” They’d both managed to forget that Jesse was there, but he was gaping from the doorway. 

“Ah, yes! I’ve joined the Shambali.”

Jesse raised an eyebrow, leaning on the doorframe.

“Pardon me saying so, but I don’t recall you being much the-...type.”

 

Genji snorted, thinking of the sort of messes he and Jesse got up to. Not the type indeed. The reply that came immediately to mind wasn’t fit for polite company, but it stopped on Genji’s tongue. Hanzo had always been the jealous type-

 

When Genji looked over Hanzo looked perfectly content. Meeting Genji’s eyes, he just hiked an eyebrow higher.

“We’re in agreement on that.”

 

Genji clutched his chest.

“Betrayed! You think so little of me!”

“We  _ knew  _ you.” Jesse commented drily, and that caused something dark to pass over Hanzo’s face. It didn’t look like jealousy, just an old pain. Genji realized with an aching heart that it was the past tense.  _ Knew _ him. Hanzo didn’t think he did anymore.

 

He clapped a hand onto his brother’s shoulder, giving him a (slightly) forced grin. 

“Well I think we’ve both walked some strange roads! I finally got your letters! My brother, at concerts! Changing universities! Marrying cowboys!”

 

That brought the warmth back into Hanzo’s face, even as he rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Terrible mistakes, the lot of them.”

Jesse gave an offended squawk, and Hanzo’s poker face broke for half a second before it settled into place again. 

“Well if i’m going to be roasted, I should at least be warm.” Jesse retreated dramatically, but Genji noted he’d bumped the door to stop it from closing behind him. Hanzo made for the door and, with only a second of hesitation, Genji followed. 

 

Hanzo stood on his toes to give Jesse a kiss on his way past, and Genji couldn’t stop grinning at the sight. Jesse made eye contact with him as he went in, and chuckled at his manic grin.

“You’re sure taking all this well.”

Genji couldn’t quite figure out what he meant by that. Jesse raised his eyebrows at the open confusion in his face.

“Your ex and your brother?”

 

There were downsides to living in a monastery, Genji reflected, but sometimes it was nice to forget about how petty things in civilization could be. 

 

“The two people I was most worried that I hurt with my departure have found a way to make each other happy. I could not have hoped for a better outcome.”

Jesse’s eyebrows practically tried to make their escape through his hairline.

“That’s awful mature of you.”

Genji shrugged, trying to not to look too smug. The smirk Hanzo gave him was a pretty good indication that he’d failed. 

 

“My brother has transcended worldly concerns. I suppose that means you won’t want this hot chocolate-”

“No!”

Genji’s protest must have come out a little more forcefully then he’d intended, because Hanzo looked a little alarmed. Genji cleared his throat.

“I mean, I would very much appreciate your hospitality in any form but especially hot chocolate.” It had been years since he’d had any hot chocolate. 

He bowed, to emphasize the point, and ignored Jesse’s snickering. 

 

Hanzo headed off towards the kitchen, gesturing for Genji to follow. 

“Lets catch up a bit before we go upstairs. Jesse, do you think you could-”

Jesse tipped his hat and backed out, something passing between them in the verbal language of old lovers. It made Genji smile to see it. 

 

Hanzo leaned back against the counter, smiling.

“So, how did you end up in a monastery?”

Genji chuckled.

“Father’s agents almost cornered me in India, so I went to Nepal and I climbed a mountain. And then I fell down the mountain. Some of the monks found me and took me back to the temple to recover. And then I stayed.”

Hanzo’s hands moved almost of their own accord over the stove, making some kind of hot chocolate that smelled strongly of cinnamon. 

“That’s all?”

Genji shrugged.

“I’d been wandering long enough. It felt good to belong somewhere.” 

There was the old ache in Hanzo’s face, familiar. 

 

“I suppose it is.”

“What about you?” Genji elbowed Hanzo, careful not to shove too hard. 

“I can see that you and Jesse are happy now but I must wonder how  _ that  _ happened!”

That brought the smile right back to Hanzo’s face, and Genji had to suppress an excited squeal at how in love his brother looked. 

 

“I can hardly believe it myself. I went to Riverside to look for you and- I suppose I just stayed. You were important to your friends, and to Jesse and me. It was easier to handle together. We all found our way through it. And when father sent men after me because I’d abandoned the school he’d chosen for me, Jesse shot them.”

 

“I-” Genji was thinking about how selfish he’d been, and about his friends, and then the second part of the sentence clicked into place. Hanzo’s tone had been so cheerful. It took a moment. 

  
“He what.”

Hanzo chuckled fondly.   
“I was surprised at the time he hadn’t known about the Shimada clan already. But I suppose there was also plenty he didn’t tell you.”

“I mean I knew he could shoot. I just didn’t know he could.... _ shoot. _ ”

Hanzo puffed up, looking proud.

“He is a very talented marksman. And he helped me stay clear of the gang. We were able to keep them off us for long enough for me to finish my undergrad and then go to law school.”

 

“You went to-”

It clicked.  _ Cases won. The Shimada clan in ruins.  _

Genji gaped. Hanzo just smirked.

 

Genji shook his head in wonder.

“It seems I owe you more then I knew, brother.” 

Hanzo’s smile warmed.

“I am just happy to have you return home. Ah- there we are.” 

  
He turned to the door, a fondness in his face Genji was fast leaning to associate with McCree. Genji turned to the door, taking in the cowboy and the little girl in his arms. She had almond shaped eyes and brown hair, and she was still wearing the tutu from the photo. Genji grinned as she blinked at him in confusion. 

 

“Who’s this?”

“This is my brother, Sophie. Your Uncle Genji.”

Genji grinned even wider at the words “Uncle Genji.” Never in his whole life had he ever thought he’d hear those words.

“Hello Sophie. It’s nice to meet you.”

“What happened to your face?”

McCree winced. Genji snorted.

“I fell down a mountain.”

“You must be clumsy.”

“I am  _ very  _ clumsy.”

 

She nodded, sagely, and reached out for him. McCree wordlessly passed her over, and Genji held her as she continued her inspection up close.

“They’re kinda pretty.”

 

Genji grinned even wider. His face was starting to hurt.    
“Ah, you should see my arms! I have tiger stripes.”

Sophie gawked.

“Awesome!”

 

Jesse looked a little alarmed, but Hanzo just rolled his eyes as he poured the hot chocolate into a teapot and handed Jesse a hefty stack of cups.

“Let’s go upstairs. There’s some people who’d love to see you again, Genji.”

 

Genji grinned, hoisting Sofie a little higher on his hip.

“I’m sure I’ll be happy to see them too.”

 

Everything he’d lost, and everything he’d been denied in the first place. Genji felt utterly complete as he followed Hanzo and Jesse up the stairs. A first Christmas with his family. He was looking forward to many more. 


End file.
